Lamont Paris, players react to being picked last in SEC
The news didn’t shock Lamont Paris or the two players South Carolina brought to SEC Media Days.
The league’s media picked the Gamecocks last in the SEC, something South Carolina plans on using as motivation in Paris’s first season.
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“We already knew coming into the season we were going to be picked near the bottom. But we call ourselves the underdogs,” GG Jackson said. “Meechie Johnson, our point guard, every time we break down the huddle he talks about earning it. We have a lot of earning to do this year.”
Every year a team has to finish last, and the Gamecocks were, just behind Georgia and Vanderbilt in the preseason poll.
Paris certainly understands where it comes from given how much roster turnover South Carolina had this offseason and despite enrolling a five-star freshman in Jackson.
“It didn’t surprise me. I would say that. We probably have the least experience overall in terms of who’s competed at this level,” Paris said. “Even at different levels in terms of minutes played, points scored. I can see where that stems from. It didn’t shock me. I’ve been picked last in general oftentimes. I thrive on that. I’m motivated by that.”
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Paris leads a South Carolina team having to replace its entire starting five by the end of the season plus all-freshman guard and sixth man Devin Carter.
The Gamecocks brought in a wealth of transfers from various levels. They brought in some seasoned mid-major players along with others, like Johnson, who struggled for consistent minutes at the high-major level.
South Carolina still understands it’ll be a fight to finish above the bottom of the pack. But Paris hopes to leave people wondering why the Gamecocks are succeeding at times.
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“We’ll have a chip on our shoulders. That doesn’t mean we’re going to win all 32 regular season games because we have a chip on our shoulders. Where you’re picked and where you finish are oftentimes two different things. I hope to put a product out there where people are scratching their heads,” he said.
“And saying, ‘How did that work? I see who they’re playing. This guy didn’t play much at this school, this guy’s never played at this level or this guy’s never played that role at all. The former staff didn’t think he could play much for them. This coach, we don’t know that much about him. How is this happening?’ I aspire to have people scratching their heads at some point wondering how we did what we did.”
The Gamecocks might understand why they were picked so low. But it doesn’t mean they won’t be trying to prove those voters wrong.
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“I, as well as every single guy in that locker room, we have a chip on our shoulder already. That’s just adding to the individual chip on our shoulders. Now we have a collective chip on our shoulder. That just adds more fuel to the fire,” Hayden Brown said.
“That’s cool. You put us 14th or 13th or whatever you want to do. Cool. you’re just going to add more fuel to the fire and give us more of a reason to prove people wrong.”
